Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!!!

It is almost time for my favorite holiday and I am very excited. On Sunday we got a little taste of trick-or-treating and holiday celebrations. My friend Jackie had a Halloween party at her house. There were tons of treats, scary Halloween ghouls, and games for the children to play. Tristen and Chloe soaked themselves in a game of bobbing for apples and Chloe won first prize in pin your name on the pumpkin. After partying it up we went to the area businesses and did some trick-or-treating. That was especially nice since the weather was so beautiful that the girls were able to show off their costumes a bit more than normal. Afterwards there was a wiener roast at the park and both of the girls were able to cook their own hot dogs. Once Sunday was finished we all were quite wore out.
I am not sure who is more excited about this week me or the girls. Tristen has her Halloween party at school tomorrow and that is all I have heard about all day. Also tomorrow night we are going to be going trick-or-treating in Houghton and carving our pumpkins.... since we have been so busy the last few weekends and still haven't gotten around to it. Then on Wednesday night we are taking the girls to Mt.P for some more trick-or-treating and some activities at the E Center, formally known as Hy-Vee. I love celebrating holidays with my children and am a true believer in traditions.
I will not be around the next few days due to the holidays and I go to meet my specialist in Ia City for my Rheumatoid Arthritis, yes young people do suffer from arthritis.. lol... Anyhow I hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween:)

Sean, Tristen, and Wal-Mart

Sean had quite a day and I thought I would share this experience with everyone.....




Sean had decided to get a bit of shopping done today. Tristen is pretty much used to getting whatever toy she picks out in the store, as long as she is good. Well today Tristen had picked out a Dora the Explorer toy. Sean told his bubbly little girl that she needed to wait until mommy got paid on Friday then we could go shopping and buy this toy. Sean convinced Tristen that they could "hide" this toy in the store behind another toy so that it would not be purchased and it would be there for her on Friday. Sean goes on down the next isle to get a few items we needed. He then realizes that Tristen is missing. He searches down the toy isles figuring she was looking around. He cannot find her and becomes very worried. Sean goes to the customer service desk to alert the staff about his missing baby. The store puts out a code "adam", which is what happens when a child is lost in the store. Sean goes back to the isle where he had last seen Tristen and wouldn't you know, there she was hiding with her toy on the shelf.....

Sean has now informed me he is not going shopping with the girls by himself ever again..LOL

I remember

By popular demand I am doing my I remember post.... please bear with me.... lol

I remember when I was able to go to the local candy store and purchase candies with pennies and nickels....

I remember when I got my first car, a spray painted black ford escort which I loved....

I remember when I began driving at the age of 16 and gas was only .99 cents a gallon....

I remember when I shared a bunk bed with my sister Nicole... she got the top bunk...

I remember when I moved out of my parents house for the first time....

I remember when I gave birth to both of my girls.... there are not enough words to describe those experiences... I am truly grateful to God for his two precious gifts....

I remember when I graduated high school... I was the first one on my fathers side of the family to do so and it was a major accomplishment for all of us....

Fun, Fun, Fun

An exciting weekend it was indeed. We started off Friday morning with Tristen's first school field trip, I felt very lucky to be able to enjoy this with her. So, Friday morning eight a.m. the three of us pack up to begin our day. We met with Tristen's teacher at the school where she rode the bus to our destination and we drove.... Sean and I were not so brave as to ride with the 40 excited, screaming, and jumping children. Kathy's Pumpkin Patch sets down by Donnelson so the drive was not too bad at all.

This is the entrance to Kathy's Pumpkin Patch... there were pumpkins all around... very festive like:)

When we arrived they lead the children to the inside of a barn like structure to inform them of their day.

Next we went to the play area. There were lots of toys to play on and even a corn pit.

Here is my personal favorite picture of our day. Tristen is burying one of her friends in the corn:)

After playtime the children went on a wagon ride. The wagon ride took us around the perimeter of the pumpkin patch and lead us to the soybeans maze.

Tristen was very good at the maze and helped me find my way out:) Our next stop was to pick out our pumpkins.. there were lots to choose from and Tristen picked out two lovely pumpkins.. one for her and one for her sister. We shortly thereafter hit the picnic tables for our snack and then back to the play area for one last time on the slide before the field trip day was over.

Saturday Chloe and I went to bingo at the community center. It was a fundraiser for the firemen and we had lots of fun. Chloe won on the second game, for her prize she chose a light stick (to use for Halloween) and some pencils. I didn't win.. go figure lol.. but we did have a great time.

On Sunday we paid a final visit to our little secret park out in the country for a cook out before winter begins. Sean made his famous hot dogs and chips. The girls ran wild playing on all the toys and were pretty tuckered once we got home. We had planned on carving our pumpkins that we got from the pumpkin patch but, the lil ones pasted out, so we are going to save that for this weekend.

We rented a few movies this weekend. "The Reaping" and "1408" were okay.. nothing to brag about but they were alright flicks. We also rented "Transformers", we all loved this movie and give it a 10.

My Career

Today I thought it would be a good idea to give everyone a little insight into what it is I do. I am a consumer support specialist and work in an assisted living center during the overnight shift. I have been with this company now for about a year and a half. I supervise twenty people and assist them with completing goals that are set up in order to make their transition to the community a success. All of my clients suffer from some level of mental retardation or mental illness and the age of my clients are varied in range. For alot of my clients this is the first time that they have lived on their own, and that truly makes this a big life experience for them. I have been in health care for most of my time in the workforce, usually in nursing homes as a Certified Nurses Aid. I have seen it all including the smiles of a resident as you sit there and listen to them tell their stories, the happiness when the family sees the resident get better and be able to move out (although that didn't occur as much as you would hope), and I have been there to hold my residents hand as they drifted off into another world that we do not know. I love being in the health care business and helping my clients. I am thankful for being gave such a position to assist wonderful people with their activities of daily living. The assisted living center is much more suited to what I enjoy doing. Sean has told me often that he could not do what I do, but when you see someone smile and take pride in what they have accomplished it makes it all worth while.

Hello there Tuesday

Today both Tristen and Chloe had school. I had to have a discussion with Tristen's teacher due to the fact that Tristen was taking one toy for show and tell, and bringing back home five toys. I told Tristen not to do this because she is going to make her friends cry. Apparently my little speech worked because today she only brought home her one toy:) Right now in school Chloe is learning how to add and subtract. They have worked their way all up to the three's and are now taking timed tests. On all of the tests Chloe has received one hundred percent.. she is such a smarty pie:)) As you can tell I'm a proud mumsy. lol
Well I did my civic duty today. I went to the community center and gave away my blood for the vampires... lol I try to donate every 55 days even if afterwards I feel like crap. There is not a whole lot of other news to report, so off I go......

Spooky Fun

I am hoping that everyone's weekend went well. Ours was full of family time, which is especially important, seeing how the week is filled with school and work. We started Friday off by purchasing the girls their pumpkins. They chose which ones that they wanted.... and were able to paint them with watercolors.

They had loads of fun doing this. It kept them busy for over an hour, and they were very proud of their work....

On Saturday we had a fun filled spooktacular night at the Old Threshers Grounds. They were hosting the Ghost Train, Trolley, games, rides, a hay maze, the list goes on.

We seen some very scary costumes and lots of creativity. The girls had dressed into their costumes... watching Tristen and Chloe shake their 'tales' to the music was the best.

We rode the Ghost Train and the Trolley. The girls played on some of the inflatable toys and went through mazes. Of course Tristen needed the help of her big sister to find the way out, but, all in all everyone had a lovely time. I was even able to ride the carousel with my babies.

We used Sunday as our day of rest. I clean up the house a bit and Sean gets to watch some sports. The girls either play with their games or toys inside or go out and play with the neighbor kid, Lexie. I did watch a good flick this weekend called "Knocked Up"... was a funny movie, however a bit graphic in some parts for childrens eyes.

Thank you Linda for your suggestions about the pumpkin seeds, I will certainly try that this year in hopes of planting them in the spring:)

Yet, another weekend has arrived!!! yeay!!! lol

With my favorite season approaching we have some exciting shopping plans this weekend. The girls are going to get to pick out their pumpkins... Tristen has been talking about this for three days now. If anyone knows what to do with pumpkin seeds after you take them out of the pumpkin in order to plant them the following year, please let me know. We would like to start our own patch for next year. Also we will be taking the girls to the Old Threshers Grounds for the Spooktacular Ghost Train ride. It was a big hit last year with the lil ones. We are going to get them dressed in their Halloween costumes... hopefully the weather allows for this. And of course Sean with be on the photo detail, so on Monday when I return back to work I will have these photos to post.
I have been very busy this week, that is the reason for the delay with the posts. My mom is in the hospital at the University in Iowa City. I was able to go see her on Wednesday for a few hours, but I had to hurry back so that I could pick up Chloe from the bus stop, as we dont have anyone that sits our children, I'm a little overprotective... lol.. Anyhow, my mom was moved off the ICU unit today and looks to be having a good recovery:) I hope that everyone has an awesome weekend and I will see ya'll come Monday.

Thank you:)

I would like to thank everyone for your cards, cakes, pizza and so on for my birthday. I had a great weekend!! We started off on Friday by going to this neat little park that Sean had found while he was off cruising about. It is around Houghton. It has a bunch of toys for the kids to play on, a picnic area, and a golf course! We enjoyed a fun little weenie roast there.

Such a great guy Sean is, he did ALL the cooking:) We had hotdogs, chips, and soda.... all of the girls' favorite food.

While Sean was busy cooking the girls enjoyed some fun in the sun.....

After Friday was finished we were all very worn out and slept well. Saturday came and it was time to visit my parents and sisters down in Muscatine. It was nice to spend time with my family, we don't get to see as much of eachother as we should. We started our trip off at my parents house which is where my sister Tabbatha and my niece Faith reside. Faith is an 18 month old gift from God. She truly is a princess. She is growing so fast and looks just like her mom.

Chloe really enjoyed seeing Faith and played "mom" most of the time.

Here is the cake that Tabby had made for me.

Next we went to my sister Nicole's house. More play time for the children!!!







Starting from left to right there is... Chloe, Dominic, Antonio, Tristen, Whitley, and Tyler. What a great looking bunch of kids:) While at Nicole's place we enjoyed some pizza and a water fight, which I must say that Dominic won. All in all I had a wonderful birthday and would like to thank everyone for making my day special.

Happy-go-lucky-Wednesday

Another week of work has come and gone. I am happy to see the weekend, I get four days off for my birthday!!! We have a few plans this weekend. I am thrilled to get to go to Muscatine to see my family. My sister Nicole is cooking up some birthday tacos and Tabby is making me a cake.... how sweet:) The girls are excited to go play with their cousins. It doesnt happen as often as it should so these times are very special. Also, Sean and I have our big trip to the Green Thumbers to buy some more shrubs and trees for our current landscaping projects.

On Friday I get to go and enjoy lunch with Chloe at school. She is the star of the week... although in my eyes she is always a bright lil star, so she gets to have company at school for lunch. She also got to take pictures to school that way the students get to know eachother a little bit better.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I will post more on Monday.

A poem that makes me smile:)

Today I thought I would do something a bit different. I don't have any news to pass on so, I thought that I could post one of my favorite poems. This poem was given to me when I started working for Rescare. I have held this poem close while assisting my clients with various tasks. I hope you like it.

Beatitudes for Friends of Exceptional People

Blessed are you who take time to listen to difficult speech,

For you help us to know that if we persevere,

We can be understood.

Blessed are you who walk with us in public places,

And ignore the stares of strangers,

For in your companionship,

We find a haven of peace.

Blessed are you who never bid us to "hurry up,"

And more blessed are you

Who do not snatch tasks from our hands to do them for us,

For often we need time rather than help.

Blessed are you who stand beside us

As we enter new and untried ventures,

For our failures will be outweighed

By the times we surprise ourselves and you.

Blessed are you who ask for our help,

For our greatest need is to be needed.

Blessed are you when you assure us,

That the one thing that makes us individuals

Is not our peculiar muscles,

Nor our wounded nervous system,

Nor our difficulties in learning,

Nor any exterior difference,

But it is in our inner, personal, individual self

Which no infirmity can diminish or erase.

Author Unknown

Weekend Fun

What a great weekend it was! Sean had a good birthday. The girls and I got him a gift certificate to the local greenery and made him birthday brownies with one candle on top. There wasnt enough room for all thirty three... hehehe.
We also went shopping for Halloween costumes. Chloe decided that she wanted to be a unicorn, and that wasn't the easiest costume to find. Tristen chose to be a cat. They both look adorable in their little costumes and are quite excited for trick or treating this year.
I finally have gotten the rest of the shrubs planted, although this weekend we are going to Muscatine where the Green Thumbers are going out of business. I forsee much more planting here in the next few weeks... yeay!!
I rented the flick "bug" this weekend. I recommend that noone waste their money on that... was truely an awful movie. I also rented "We are Marshall". It was an awesome flick and strongly recommend this one. That is enough for now... until next time....